Card analyzing machine



Jan. 7, 1936. E. A. FORD CARD ANALYZING MECHANISM Filed July 26, 1933 ATTORNEY- INVENTOR- Q. $07K in A- Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES CARD ANALYZING MACHINE Eugene A. Ford, Scarsdale, N. Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 26, 1933, Serial No. 682,285

4 Claims.

This invention relates to perforated record controlled machines and more particularly to means for sensing perforations in the records as they are fed through the machine.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide more accurate and positive means for sensing the perforations in the records when using compressed air for this purpose.

Another object is to provide perforation sensing means of this type in which the air may be forced through the perforations in the record with a minimum amount of loss of pressure.

Another object is to provide a, sensing means of this character capable of sensing perforations in columns arranged more closely together than has heretofore been customary or possible.

Another object is to provide sensing means of this character in which the Jet of air forced through a perforation'in one column of a record will not actuate the control elements associated with adjacent columns.

These and other objects will be apparent in the following description of the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation in section of record feeding and sensing mechanism adapted for use in connection with tabulating and like machines.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the perforation sensing device shown in Fig. 1 on a slightly larger scale. 5

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view of the compressed air device for supplying air to the several columns on the record to sense the perforations therein.

Fig. 4 is a detail of means for restoring the parts to normal position after the record has been analyzed.

Fig. 5 is a detail taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.

In the drawing, the records to be analyzed are shown at l stacked in the usual card hopper 2. A card picker 3 is adapted to reciprocate up and down once for each cycle of operation of the machine and to feed the records downwardly one at a time through the throat 4 which is only wide enough to permit one card at a time to pass through. When the lower edge of the record card reaches the feed rollers 5, 6, it is gripped between these rollers and carried downwardl Rollers 5 and 6 have. intermeshing gears 5', 6 so that rotation of one will effect rotation of the other and when a card separates the rollers, the rotation of one will through the card effect the rotation of the other.

In the present instance, the roller 5, is provided with a gear 1 fixed with respect thereto and cooperating with a gear 8 which in turn cooperates with a driving gear 9. A gear l meshing with gear 7 operates a connecting link II to reciprocate the card picker 3. As the record card is fed downwardly by rollers and B, it passes between rollers l2 and it which serve as feed rollers to continue to feed the card downwardly. Roller i3 is in the form of a sleeve mounted over an inner tube id. The tube i4 is provided with a 5 row of perforations 15, or a horizontal slot if desired. As shown, there is one perforation 5 for each column on the record card. The sleeve i3 is provided with several horizontal rows of perforations it. As shown here, there are ten of 10 these horizontal rows of perforations i6 corresponding to the ten index point positions in each column of the well known Hollerith tabulating card. Where additional positions such as the H and i2 positions sometimes employed on these cards are to be analyzed, additional rows of perforations it may be provided in the sleeve it.

There are as many perforations It in each row as there are perforations E5 in the tube I4 or, in other words, as many as there are columns of index point positions on the record cards. Tube l 4 is fixed while the sleeve i3 is adapted to rotate on the tube. The rotation of sleeve I3, is effected by means of a gear I! fixed with respect thereto and meshing with gear ll fixed with respect to roller l2.

The distance between rows of the perforations IS in the sleeve i3 is such that the index point positions on the card will register with perforations IG as the card is fed between the roller I2 and sleeve l3. In other words, when the lowermost index point position in a column on a card, which represents the value 9, reaches the sensing position in the machine, it will register with the first perforation IS in the corresponding column. Then, as the card continues to be fed downwardly, the next index point position in the column,

. which represents the value 8, will register with the next perforation IS in the sleeve I3, etc. If there is a perforation in one of the index point positions in a column on the card, as that perforation passes through the sensing position, it will permit air to pass through the card. The time in the cycle of the machine at which the air passes through, determines the operation to be performed by the machine. As each lateral row of perforations l6 passes through the horizontal line, these perforations will pass over the perforations I5 in the tube It. Compressed air contained in the tube will pass into the perforations I6 and press against the card I. Where a perforation in the card appears over one of the perforations IS, the air will pass through the card and strike a lever l8 pivoted at l9 to a supporting member 20.

The roller I2 is provided with circumferential grooves 2! into which the levers l8'reach. The lower end l8a of each lever i8 may be spoonshaped and is opposite the perforation 16 when the latter registers with aperforation l5, so that m if a perforation in the record card registers with.

a perforation l6 while the latter is passing perforation l5, compressed air will pass through a cardand rock the lever l8 clockwise upon its pivot. Each lever [B has attached thereto an electric contact finger 22. The finger 22 is insulated from the lever l8 and presses against a member 23 common to all of the contact fingers 22 and connected through wire 24 to one side of electric supply source. When the lever I8 is rocked from the position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 2, the finger 22 will engage a terminal 25 carried by an insulating block 26. Each terminal 25 is c nnected by a wire 21 to one side of an electromagnet 28 and all of these'magnets are connected to the other side of the electric supply source. Thus, when any of the levers l8 rocks its finger 22 into contact with the terminal 25, a circuit will be closed from the negative side of the line* through wire 2 common contact member 23, finger 22, terminal 25, wire 21, individual magnet 28 and back to the other side of the line. The energization of the magnet 28 will serve to control the operation of the machine in a manner well known in connection with tabulating and sorting machines.

The time in the cycle of the machine at which the magnet is energized depends upon the position of the perforation in the column on the record. The portions 52a of the roller l2 which presses against the card I serve to hold the card firmly against the sleeve l3 along the line on which the perforations in the card cooperate with perforations l6 and I5. The roller He thus holds the card firmly against the sleeve l3 so that the pressure of the air will not force the card away from the sleeve l3 and escape. Also the individual sections l2a of the roller l2 will act as partitions to prevent the air which passes through a perforation in a particular columnon a card from spreading laterally and operating or tending to operate a lever I8 associated with an adjacent column.

After a card has been completely analyzed, all of the levers I8 that have been actuated to close contacts22, 25 will be restored from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 1. This is effected by means of a common bar 29 pivoted at 30 and provided with an arm 3| fixed with respect thereto. Arm 3| lies in the path of a pin 32 fixed with respect to gear I1 and the shaft Ila on which the sleeve |3a is fixed. The position of the pin 32 is such that after the card has been completely analyzed, the pin will strike the arm 3|, rocking the shaft 30 and restoring member 29 clockwise. Member 29 will then rock downwardly and engage all of the levers l8, rocking them counterclockwise about their pivot l9, restoring them and breaking the contact 22, 25. When a finger 22 is rocked into engagement with terminal 25, it is adapted to press resiliently against the side thereof to effect a rubbing and frictional contact. This structure will serve to keep the contact surfaces clean and also to hold the fingers 22 and levers l8 in set position until they are restored by member 3|.

As shown in Fig. 1, the alternate contact terminals 25 may be mounted on the lower side of the common carrying bar, 26 and the intermediate ones on the upper side in order to provide space for attaching the wires 21.

The tube M 'and sleeve I3 are mounted for rotation intheframe members 33, 34. The bear- Is. As shown, the perforations [5 may be elongated and may be longer than the perforations Hi. When a perforation I6 is fiiassing a perforation t5 the length of time that the air will be passing through the perforations will 5 thus be controlled by the length of the perforation l5.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, 10 it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is 15 the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a perforated record sensing machine, a hollow roller having a plurality of rows of per- 20 forations therein corresponding to index point positions on records to be analyzed, means for synchronously feeding records and operating said roller, means for supplying compressed air to one row of perforations'in the roller at a time during 25 operation, and means operable by air passing through a perforation in the roller and a perforation in the record registering with the roller for controlling operation of the machine.

2. In a machine adapted to be controlled by 30 perforated records, a hollow roller having a plurality of rows of perforations corresponding to rows of index point positions on a record to be analyzed, means for synchronously operating supplying compressed air to one row of perforations in said roller at a time during operation thereof, means for pressing a record being analyzed into engagement with the roller along the row of perforations to which air is supplied, and 40 means operated by air passing through a perforation in a record coinciding with a perforation in the roller for controlling the operation of the machine.

3. In a machine adapted to be controlled by 45 perforated records, a tube adapted to contain compressed air, said tube being provided with a row of perforations to permit the air to pass through, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said tube, said sleeve being provided with a plurality of rows 50 of perforations adapted to cooperate one row at a time with the perforations in the tube, a roller having circumferenti-algrooves cooperating with said sleeveto effect feeding of perforated records, means for operating said roller and 55 I sleeve to efiect such feeding, and elements reaching into the grooves of said roller and adapted to receive air passing through perforations in a record coinciding with perforations in the sleeve and tube to control the operation of the 60 machine.

4. In a machine adapted to be controlled by perforated records, a tube adapted to contain compressed air, said tube being open along a line parallel to its axis to permit air to pass through, 65 a sleeve rotatably mounted on said tube and provided with a plurality of rows of perforations adapted to cooperate one row at a time with such opening, means for-feeding a perforated record over said sleeve, and. means adapted to be ac 70 EUGENE A. FORD. 

